Ronald Evans (astronaut)

Ron Evans was a pilot in the Navy.

He flew fast planes in the sky. Later, he became an astronaut for NASA.

He flew to the Moon on a ship called Apollo 17. While his friends walked on the Moon, Ron stayed in his ship. He flew around the Moon 75 times. This was a very long time in space. He even went for a walk outside his ship.

He was a great explorer of the stars.

Ron Evans was a pilot and an astronaut.

He studied electrical engineering at college. Then, he joined the U.S. Navy. He flew fast fighter jets. He even flew missions during the Vietnam War.

In 1966, NASA chose him to be an astronaut. His big trip happened in December 1972. He flew on the Apollo 17 mission. This was the last crewed trip to the Moon.

Ron was the Command Module Pilot. This means he flew the main ship. His crewmates landed on the Moon's surface. Ron stayed in orbit. He flew around the Moon 75 times. He spent 147 hours and 43 minutes in orbit. This was a record for that time.

During the trip home, Ron did a spacewalk. We call this an extravehicular activity, or EVA. He went outside the ship to get film. It was the farthest spacewalk ever done from Earth.

He later worked on the Space Shuttle. Ron died in 1990.

Ronald Evans was a man who explored both the skies and the stars. He was an electrical engineer and a pilot for the United States Navy. He also became a NASA astronaut.

His life was full of many different jobs. He learned how to fly fast fighter jets in the Navy. He even flew missions during the Vietnam War. These experiences helped him prepare for the hard work of space travel.

In 1966, NASA chose Evans to be part of a new group of astronauts. His biggest adventure happened in December 1972 on the Apollo 17 mission.

This was the very last crewed mission to visit the Moon. Evans served as the Command Module Pilot. This means he stayed in the main ship while his crewmates went down to the Moon. While they explored the surface, Evans orbited the Moon 75 times. He spent 147 hours and 43 minutes in lunar orbit. This was a record for the most time spent orbiting the Moon.

Evans's journey to space began with a lot of hard study. He was born in St. Francis, Kansas, in 1933. He went to the University of Kansas to study electrical engineering. Because his family had little money, he used a scholarship to pay for school.

He also joined the Navy to train as a pilot. He learned to fly many different planes, like the T-34 Mentor and the T-28 Trojan. He even practiced landing on an aircraft carrier. These years of training made him ready for NASA.

During the flight home from the Moon, Evans did something very brave. He performed an extravehicular activity, or EVA. An EVA is a spacewalk where an astronaut goes outside the spacecraft.

Evans went out into the deep space to retrieve film cassettes from the service module. This was the third deep space EVA ever done. It was also the farthest spacewalk ever performed from any planet. It was the final spacewalk of the entire Apollo program.

After his time in space, Evans continued to help with space travel. He worked on the development of the Space Shuttle. He also served as a backup pilot for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project in 1975. Eventually, he retired from NASA in 1977 to work in the coal industry. He lived a long life and passed away in 1990 at age 56. His work helped humans understand how to travel far away from Earth.

Ronald Ellwin Evans Jr. was an American electrical engineer and a naval aviator. He is best known for his work as a NASA astronaut.

Evans was part of the historic Apollo 17 mission. This was the final crewed mission to visit the Moon. His career combined high-level engineering with the physical skills of a fighter pilot. These diverse roles helped him navigate the complexities of space exploration.

Evans's journey to the Moon required years of intense academic and military training. He was born in St. Francis, Kansas, in 1933. To afford his education, he earned a scholarship from the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC). He studied electrical engineering at the University of Kansas and graduated in 1956. He later earned a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1964. This deep understanding of how aircraft and spacecraft function was vital for his later success.

Before joining NASA, Evans served as a decorated officer in the United States Navy. He trained as a student aviator in various aircraft, including the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor. He even practiced landing on aircraft carriers using the North American T-6 Texan. As a fighter pilot, he flew the Vought F8U Crusader. During the Vietnam War, Evans flew combat missions from the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga. These experiences in high-pressure environments prepared him for the rigors of spaceflight.

In 1966, NASA selected Evans as part of Astronaut Group 5. His primary mission occurred in December 1972 aboard Apollo 17.

On this mission, Evans served as the Command Module Pilot. While Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt explored the Moon's surface, Evans remained in orbit. He orbited the Moon 75 times during the mission.

This allowed him to monitor the crew and manage the spacecraft's systems from above.

Evans set several significant records during the Apollo 17 flight. He spent 147 hours and 43 minutes in lunar orbit. This remains the record for the most time spent in orbit around the Moon. He was also one of only 12 astronauts to fly to the Moon without actually landing on the surface. Additionally, Evans performed a remarkable extravehicular activity, or EVA, during the return flight.

An EVA is a spacewalk where an astronaut exits the spacecraft to perform tasks.

This specific EVA was a historic achievement in deep space exploration. Evans stepped outside the spacecraft to retrieve film cassettes from the service module. This was the third deep space EVA ever conducted during the Apollo program. It also holds the distinction of being the spacewalk performed at the greatest distance from any planetary body. It served as the final spacewalk of the entire Apollo program. This task required immense precision while orbiting far from Earth.

Following his lunar mission, Evans continued to contribute to the future of spaceflight. In 1975, he served as the backup Command Module Pilot for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. This mission was a significant step in international space cooperation. He also worked on the early development of the Space Shuttle program.

Evans eventually retired from NASA in March 1977. He transitioned to a career as an executive in the coal industry. He passed away from a heart attack in 1990 at the age of 56.